The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-01-27

blooms to-day; stoop down, if thou wouldst
pluck it. 0 for more of the childlike spiritl
l rejoice in the belief that those who come
to Christ to-day, come aware of their sins and
their wants, and have learned how to fly low.
Again: These persons who come to-day are
like doves on their way to the dove cot, be-
cause they fly for shelter. The albatross
makes throne of the tempest; the sea gulls
find their grandest frolic in the storm-their
merriest hour seems to be that in which the
surf of the sea piles most high. Not SO with
doves At the first blow of the northeaster
they fly to the COOP Eagle contends with
eagle in mid air. and vulture fights vulture
on the bosom of the carcass, but doves at the
first dash of tho bird of prey speed for shelter
from fiery eye and iron beak and loathsome
talon So to-day these souls come here for
shelter Every one has besetting sin; that
sin is always after you. The robber watches
you when you come out of the bank, sees in
what pocket you put the money, follows you
down the street, notices where you go to dine,
and where you sleep, and what kind of a lock
you have on your door; so there is some sin
ever on a mans track. 1t goes with him
to the store, it sits on the money
safe, it looks over his shoulder while
he makes out the bill of ladlng, 1t
goes out with him to dine, it walks home with
him at night As to some dog that you do
not want to follow you but persists, you say
to it, "Eack home with you'll" You stone it
away and start on. After a while, casually
turning your eye, you find it close after you
with sneaking look. Wherever you go,
sin goes; where you stay, sin stays You
have watched tho hawk above the barnyard;
it sails around and around over the brood of
chickens-around and around, now almost
down to the flock, then back again, until at
last it drops and seizes its prey. There is
hawk ready to pounce on every dove, and
that is the reason that these doves come to-
day to the windows-they want shelter in the
grace of God and in Christian associations
They say: "If there is any power in your
prayers, let mo have them; if there be any
virtue In good counsels, give them to me; if
there be anything elevating in Christian
associations, let me feel their influence"
"Where thou dwellest / will dwell. Thy
people shall be my people, thy God my God"
Open your doors, OH church of Godl and let
them come in "as doves to their windows"
Christ is the only shelter of the soul in
trouble What can you do without him
when sorrow comes9 Perhaps at first you
take valerian to quiet your nerves, or alcohol
to revive your spirits; but have you found
anything in the medicines or physical stimu
lants sufiicient2 Perhaps in the excitement
of the money market or in the merrynaking
of the club you have sought relief. This
world has no balsam for a wounded soul, no
shelter for q bruised spirit. The dove in the
time of the deiuge flew north and it was all
water, in which were tossed the carcasses of
the dead world, and the first solid thing the
doves feet touched was the window of the
ark. So the soul in trouble goes out in one
direction and finds nothing substantial to
rest upon, and in another direction and every
whittier, but there is no rest for the dove
save the ark
Substantial comfort will not grow
In natures barren soil;
All we can boast. till Christ we know,
Is vanity and toll.
But where the Lord has planted grace,
And made His glories known,
There fruits of heavenly joys are found,
And there alone
You lost parent; some one said that it
was in the regular course of nature that your
father should expire. Did that comfort yous
You lost child; somebody said il that child
had lived it might have turned out badly Did
that comfort yous You lost your property;
they told you that riches were very uncer-
tain. You knew that before. You were
sick; they explained to you that the difficulty
was in the secretions or lei the sciatic nerve
Did that soothe you: o, the despicable
quackery of earthly comfort! But when
Christ comes to the soul and says:
II took your estate because l wanted
to give you more valuable treasures; / made
you sick in body that your soul might be
brought up to eternal health; took your
loved ones away because l have better
and brighter place for them in my own pres
Al
dry off the face, then God has become the
everlasting portion of the soul Oh, the air
is full of black wings and ravens beaks.
They join their wings of darkness until they
shut out the light of the SUM- They have fat
tened on the carcasses of men. Their clangor
is horrible to the ear. Trouble and disease
| and death coming down on the wind. No
| wonder these souls have come for shelter ''as
| doves to their windows" What does the
| pigeon in the coop care for the hawk in the
| skys
Safe in Christ, safe forever. The mount
aims may depart, and the hills be removed
but Thy loving kindness shall never fail.
Again: These souls, like doves, fly home.
Most of the winged denizenS have no home
now they are at the north and now at the
south, as the climate indicates. This year @
nest in one tree, next year nest in another
tree The golden oriole remains but three
months of the year i'll Germany, and is ther
gone. The linnet of Norway crosses tht
ocean to find rest from the winters blast
The heron the eoldfinch and the grossbeal
are migratory. The cranes call each Other
together several days before going, choose
their leader, arrange themselves in two lines
forming an angle, and are gone. But th'
pigeons alluded to in the text, GUNNER anc
winter and always, have home in the dov,
cot And so Christ is the home of those wht
come to him. He is warm home; they res
under the feathers of the Almighty" Chris
tells us that chickens find not q warmer place
under the wing of the hen than we in Him
He is a safe home; our fortunes may g
down ten degrees below zero, the SHOWS o
trouble may fall, the winds of persecution
may howl, the jackals of death may stall
forth-alI is well, for great peace have the
who trust in God" From this home we shal
never be driven out. The sheriff may sell u
out of our earthly house or the fires ma.
burn it down. or the winds carry it away
but that home shall always be ours.
Men talk as though starting for God wer
putting out on a trackless moor, or wandering
through the sands of a great Sahara. Nc
no; it is coming to the warmest and best O
homes, las doves to the windows"
Again: These souls to-day gathering 70
membership are like doves, because the
come in flocks. The buzzard, with drippin
beak, fluttering up from the carrion, is alone
You occasionally look up against the wintr
sky and see a sohsiry bird winging past. Blu
doves or pigeons are in flocks; by scores an
| hundreds do they fly. You hear the lou
whrr of their wings as they pass. So to-da
wc see great flock coming into the kins
dom. 1t is not a straggler, trying t
} catch up with his regiment; it
solid phalanx, taking the king
dom 1t is not drop on your hand c
cheek that leaves you in doubt whether
, rains or not, but the rush of an unmistakabl
/ | shower.
; There are all ages in this flock. Some {
| them are young, and tho very first use the
make of their wings is to fly into the king
dom. Some of them are old, and their wins
| have been torn with shot and ruffied with Il
tempest, and they had almost dropped int